A Response to Sunshine
State News Article - "Miami-Dade
GOP Chair Nelson Diaz to Ron Paulers: I'm No Liberal, Let's Work Together"
The South Florida TEA Party Blog has written a number of
articles regarding the Miami GOP and its new chair, Mr. Nelson
Diaz. We want to offer a congratulations to Mr. Diaz for making a public appeal
to Party faithful that have expressed reservations about the future of the
Miami GOP.
As a voice for our TEA Party brothers and sisters in South
Florida, I would like to present three questions that answered
satisfactorily should make every conservative in Miami stand
in line to join Republican electoral efforts with Mr. Diaz at the lead.
The greatest concern that Republicans have about Mr. Diaz is regarding his impartiality to serve as Chair while working as a professional lobbyist. His explanation of his campaign contribution
to DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Shultz indicates that his employer and his clients can exercise influence over him that may cause a conflict of interest
between his professional and Party duties.
Keep in mind, a professional lobbyist serving as the head of
a political party can be an effective coordinator with Republican elected
officials far better than the average citizen because of their professional
experience. A Republican stronghold county like Miami-Dade would have a lot to gain from a lobbyist who knows and has worked with every elected Republican in the area.
1) How much will Mr. Diaz's employment as a professional
lobbyist affect his impartiality to be an effective "Republican
Leader"?
Mr. Diaz does not have an easy job as a lobbyist. Lobbyists provide a service that removes government impediments to growing
businesses, pressures public officials into sending tax payers their expected
public services and when these efforts fail even inviting electoral challenge
to those non-responsive, public officials. Lobbying is part of the American
political tradition as the application of the basic right of petition and
redress and as such the lobbyist's work is a public service.
However, where lobbying turns ugly is where clients use
these efforts to pressure government to give them "special interest"
rights which usually means a grant from the public treasury or a right to tax
the people (whether directly or as part of an additional service forced upon them). A professional
lobbyist who is involved in "special interest" deals while
leading a political party is potentially the worst kind of conflict of interest
because they can suddenly exert political pressure on public officials as
a leader in the Party, something a normal citizen Chair would not have.
For consideration, Mr. Diaz is the registered lobbyist for American Traffic Solutions, Inc (Red Light Cameras) and Algenol Biofuels, Inc. (Green Energy). Red Light Cameras are used as a revenue source by municipal governments and the Green Energy industry usually requires subsidies of taxpayer money as part of their business model. If Mr. Diaz has any conflict of interests regarding his professional activities that prevent him from fulfilling his role as the Miami GOP chair, he should be expected to declare this conflict of interest to the Executive Committee and recuse himself publicly where applicable.
Having a conflict of interest though does not prohibit Mr. Diaz from faithfully serving as the Miami GOP Chair. Problems arise only where a lobbyist in this position takes advantage to promote a client's issue that is not in the best interest of the Party
2) How does Mr. Diaz intend to draw the line between the Republican Party's agenda and his role in servicing his client's goals as a professional lobbyist?
The Republican Party of Miami-Dade County has had 5 chairs
in the past 5 years: Ms. Mary Ellen Miller, Mr. David Rivera, Mr. Erik Fresen,
Mr. Ben Powell and now Mr. Nelson Diaz. The
Miami GOP has had several scandals resulting in this high turnover
rate and has not maintained a welcoming environment to receive new
members. With Mr. Diaz as the new Miami GOP chair, it certainly looks like the situation
is changing.
Moving beyond the contentious REC Election of December 18th
and the misgivings
by Miami GOP elders regarding the entrance of new members, the
opportunity for growth is immeasurable given the national political climate.
3) What is Mr. Diaz's plan to invite new members and
disgruntled grassroots back into the Miami GOP?
Mr. Diaz is young, well-connected and a lifelong Republican.
The Miami GOP also has a lot of young faces and well-connected veteran members
- a winning formula.
The answers to the above questions should remove any doubt
South Florida Republicans have of Mr. Diaz and their expectations for the
future of the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee.
After Mr. Diaz's transition into his role as chair of the Miami GOP
is complete, I suspect a bright future for Miami Republicans.
Semper Fi
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| Can we get this over already? Or Fill-In-Your-Own-Blank |
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